


He who laughs last, laughs longest

by Lazy_Stalker



Series: An accident is an excuse for a fool [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swapfell, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Fontcest, M/M, Mpreg, Sibling Incest, Swapfell Papyrus - Freeform, Swapfell Undyne, Underfell Sans, Underswap Alphys - Freeform, Underswap Papyrus, Underswap Sans, Underswap Undyne - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-01-04 21:08:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12176622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazy_Stalker/pseuds/Lazy_Stalker
Summary: Blueberry did something truly awful and forgot that there could be consequences.





	1. Prevention is better than cure

 

Hello there~  
Many of you asked me to make a continuation and I kinda like that idea, so here we go!  
Let's see how things will turn out for our skeles.

____________________________________________

 

Sans woke up first. His eyes slowly fluttered open as he stretched his spine, turning from his back to face his sleeping sibling. His eternal grin grew a bit wider as he sighed.

Papyrus looked so peaceful. The look on his face that Sans missed greatly. He gently placed his hand on Papyrus’ cheek and stroked it. His brother was here, he was real – as real as their night had been. As hard as it was to believe, he knew it had happened. The night of his dreams – as he decided to call it – was very real. As well as the burning pain in his pelvis, reminding him about the past events.

Blue sit up and checked the time.

“Oh! I overslept a little…” he said to himself, but he wasn’t really mad about that. He actually was pretty sure he would have slept even longer. But after all, he is the Magnificent Sans! He has endless resources of energy!

He quickly bounced out of the bed and after closing the window, he left the room. He didn’t want to wake up Papyrus just yet. Blue wanted to make some tasty breakfast for his dear sibling. He thought that after their intense intercourse his lazy brother might feel a bit more tired and be even lazier than he usually was. So it was Sans duty to provide a delicious and healthy breakfast for Papyrus. And because he knew Papyrus loves his tacos, he was going to make him enough tacos for a whole day!

He walked into the kitchen taking energetic steps, feeling extremely happy and delighted. The world on the other side of the window looked truly wonderful today! He couldn’t wait to go outside and check his puzzles.

Sans opened the fridge to pick up ingredients for his amazing tacos but turned out he was out of meat. A small whine escaped his mouth. Damn it! It was the main ingredient! He couldn’t make tacos without the meat.

He thought for a moment. What else he could do? His eyes stopped at the eggs… Scrambled eggs, maybe? It wasn’t hard to make and it would be perfect to help Papyrus regain his energy. And Sans liked it too!

“Well then! Scrambled eggs for two it is!” he picked several eggs, cracked them and put them in a bowl. He also had some tomatoes left, which was perfect to enrich the taste. He skillfully mixed the eggs with chopped tomatoes, pepper and salt and a little bit of semi-skimmed milk to improve the consistency. He poured some oil on the frying pan and let it heat up while he turned on the electric kettle and set the table.

Once the oil was hot he poured the mixture into the pan and stirred it gently. Blue wanted to make sure he won’t burn it this time so he keep an eye on the gas cooker while he prepared a cup of coffee for Papy and a cup of tea for himself.

“Papyrus! The breakfast is almost ready!”  he yelled from the kitchen as he turned the gas cooker off and put the scrambled eggs on the plates. He placed the cups on the table and just when he wanted to go wake up his brother, Stretch appeared on the stairs.

“Uh sup… um, Sans” Papyrus said as he smiled hesitantly. He looked a bit troubled, even if he tried to hide it. Blue knew his brother well enough to see when something bothered him.

“Good morning, Papy! How was your sleep?” Sans asked as casually as he could. Papyrus couldn’t notice anything, could he? Blue checked twice if everything was alright. At least he thought so. Maybe he missed something? Maybe there was some evidence left? He felt his soul sped up, but he kept his cool.

“Great, actually” he answered, almost as he was surprised by his own response. “um, Sans…” Papyrus looked to the side and sighed, before he locked Sans’ eyes with his and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Did… did I do something weird while we were in bed? Anything” he asked quietly and held his breath, trying really hard to keep the eye contact.

“N-no!” Blue yelled almost hysterically, but he quickly cleared his throat and continued. “No, Papy. You didn’t do anything weird. You slept like a log!” Stretch exhaled loudly, clearly appeased with the answer.

“B-but… why do you ask?” he could see how the other tensed up again and for a moment he was sure he saw a slight blush.

“Oh, nothin’ bro. Just had a funny dream is all” Stretch said as he waved his hand dismissively. And surely Sans didn’t want to pursue this topic. He walked toward his brother instead and gave him a hug.

“Well then I’m glad to know you didn’t have any nightmares!” Papyrus returned the hug and made an ‘uh-uh’ sound, not really willing to say anything more than that. Sans grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen.

“Wow Sans, these scrambled eggs look really tasty” Stretch noted as he sat on a chair. “A new recipe?”

“No, Papy! It turned out you don’t have to cook it for over 10 minutes like Alphys said” he said sheepishly. His brother told him long time ago not to cook it for so long, but he trusted his friend and her lessons. She was so cool at cooking! Maybe sometimes their lessons ended with… unexpected results, but it was fun. Sans wanted to make sure everything he made was just as awesome as Alphys’ meals, but a little of originality wouldn’t hurt. Especially when it makes the dish taste better!

Blue waited till his brother took a bite and asked with natural excitement in his voice, his eye lights turning into stars. “So? Do you like it? Is it magnificent enough??” his whole composure moving toward his brother on the other side of the table as he tried to stay on his chair.

“Sans, it’s delicious” Papyrus said genuinely. But his smirk slightly twitched as he tried not to chuckle as his little bro almost exploded with happiness, his cheeks glowing blue. “Bro, you look so _egg_ cited”

Blue stopped moving, his wide smile remained but his eyes narrowed. No, nope. He was not going to destroy this moment with his stupid puns. He had to admit - after such a long time he missed those puns but it always annoyed Sans that Papyrus just had to use them when he was feeling exceptionally happy, totally destroying his mood.

Sans just rolled his eyes and dig into his eggs. That was a mistake though as it only encouraged his brother more.

“Hey, Sans, why are you _egg_ noring me? C’mon, don’t be so hard boiled, nyeheh” Blue couldn’t help but groan as his brother couldn’t miss a single chance to use a totally not funny pun. Yeah, they’re horrible and he did not want to giggle at all.

“Papyrus please, stop that” he tried his best to keep a serious face, but Papyrus smiling and chuckling always made him grin and sigh. Papyrus looked truly beautiful like this; he should be always this happy. Even if that meant his brother spend more time with Red.

“What? Don’t you like my _egg_ cellent jokes?” Stretch asked with faked pained expression, placing a hand on his ribcage near his soul and Sans just couldn’t help but giggle this time. Oh he missed his brother so much.

“You’re terrible, but I love you”

“Aw, I love you too bro. You’re the best” Sans felt his cheeks heat up as Papyrus smiled so sincerely. The smile he loved the most, it always filled his soul with delight. Too bad it was rare for Sans to see it nowadays as his brother spent most of his time in Underfell where Blue couldn’t be with him.

They talked and ate the breakfast. Or rather Sans kept telling stories about how he was doing alone, that he usually played with the kids or practiced his skills with Alphys, that sometimes he went to Undyne to watch some cool anime or what happened when he was at patrols in forest and Snowdin. He couldn’t say that he wasn’t busy or that he was bored, but… no matter how many things he had done, his life seemed incomplete. Since Papyrus left, there was a big hole in his life that he couldn’t fill anyhow. Well, he didn’t really leave but since Papy had met Red, it was normal for Sans to see his brother only once in a week. Blue even wanted to travel to Underfell with him but Papyrus said it’s too dangerous. But he was a warrior! He could protect himself! Sans even suggested that maybe the brothers from the other universe could come to his one, but Stretch for some reason didn’t want him to meet the other Papyrus. On the other hand, Blue wasn’t sure if he could deal with seeing his dear brother with Red. He saw them together many times, but it would be different if they lived in the same house.

“I have to go to work soon, so could you wash the dishes please?” Sans asked as he stood up, picked all the plates and his cup and put them in the sink.

“Yeah sure, no problem. What do you have to do today?” Papyrus asked as he drunk his coffee, sweet just like he preferred.

“Thank you! And well, I’m going to check my puzzles and make sure I didn’t catch any human today and later I promised Alphys we’ll train together. Maybe you want to join me?”

“Nah, I think I choose training with the sofa. I have to improve my snoring skills” Stretch winked at Sans.

“You can’t be that lazy!”

“Is that a challenge?” Sans exhaled loudly. He seriously couldn’t understand how someone could have so little energy and waste their time sleeping on every occasion. But Sans supposed it might have been his fault that Stretch is a bit less lively today. But that didn’t mean he would let Papyrus just nap the whole day!

“Eh, whatever. But if you want to stay home then clean our bathroom and the kitchen! I can’t do everything so please just do what I ask you at least for once”

“Hmm, I’ll think about that” Sans felt his irritation grow at these words.

“Papyrus!”

“Alright, alright. A hug and a kiss and I’ll do it” Papyrus stood up and opened his arms in a friendly gesture, waiting for his bro to just jump on him.

Blue froze instead as at the mention of the kiss lewd images passed through his mind. His cheeks glowed slightly but he tried his best to not look suspicious. He did it many times. He can do it again. A brotherly kiss on a cheek, that’s it.

Sans grinned and walked towards his brother, he quickly enveloped the taller skeleton in crushing hug to hide his shaking arms. His face nuzzled against the soft material of the orange hoodie; the subtle smell of his brother hit his nose and the images from the night came back instantly. He felt a boney hand caress his skull, slowly and lovingly, just as he did to Papy when he was asleep.

He needed to go. _Now_. He wanted to run. But it would do no good. Just make it quick and leave.

He inhaled the sweet scent for the last time and held his breath. He let go of Papyrus’ waist and grabbed him by his hoodie, tugging it a little to make his brother lean down a bit. As soon as his long face was in his reach Sans clanked his teeth against his brother’s jaw with a quiet ‘bonk’ sound.

Papyrus looked at Blue a little confused as it was the quickest kiss Sans ever gave him. Usually he had to push the small skeleton of him or ask him to stop with all the cuddles, now it felt a little… forced. But before he could say anything Sans was already near the door, putting on his boots.

“Thank you Papy and see you later!” just after Sans spoke, the front door closed.

That did seem a bit weird, but Papyrus guessed it must have been because it was already late hour and Sans was in hurry. He yawned and decided to not think about it.

Stretch teleported right on the sofa and lied down with a pleased sigh. Damn, he already missed Red. It only had been one day but it felt like a week.

A little nap surely will quicken the time. He’ll do the chores later.

 

 

____________________________________________

 Updates are not going to be frequent.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Sans closed the door behind him as fast as he could and dashed into the forest, not even greeting monsters passing by and waving at him.

His soul was racing. He barely managed to keep his cool when he had to touch Papyrus, let alone kiss him. He felt almost as he was tested, like Papyrus did know what happened and wanted him to spill everything out.

A kiss – something he did so many times with Papyrus. Sans kissed and hugged him nearly every day and vice versa, it was something totally normal. But the look in Stretch eyes when he clanked his teeth against his face seemed odd. As if he was suspecting something. A gleam in his eye – short-lived and small, but long enough for Sans to notice. Up close, Blue could see the slight change in his brother’s smile, something that would be irrelevant for every other monster. But when you live with someone, you learn their body language. You know that even the slightest frown might mean a lot. Could have Papyrus realized Blue was hiding something?

_‘No, stop overthinking’_ Sans thought, shaking his head and slowing down. He was imagining things because of fear. Stretch would have said something if he found out. He would react at least, he’d avoid Sans, maybe be angry or sad. But he seemed rather calm and didn’t mind hugging Sans at all. Everything was normal, alright.

Blue looked around. He ran pretty far away as he was in the middle of the forest right now. He didn’t really mind – he knew this place very well! And this was his favorite spot, a small frozen lake surrounded by huge trees Papyrus said are Weeping Willows and they were stunningly beautiful. It was his secret place where he liked to relax away from everybody else. Even Papyrus, the person he trusted the most – had no idea such place existed in Underground. Stretch was too busy sleeping all day to learn more about the wonderful world around them. Blue loved to explore and admire nature, even if he didn’t understand and knew as much as Papyrus.

And the frozen lake was the best! Many months ago when he was watching anime with Undyne she told him about ice skating. They even watched an anime about it! He was so amazed by people dancing on the ice he decided to try to learn how to move like this. But it turned out harder than he thought and he ended up with sore butt. But it didn’t mean he didn’t try again! And again and again – until he mastered the basics. These days he uses the lake to entertain himself, swiftly moving on the frozen surface.

However, there was one monster who knew about this place.

“hOi!” Sans heard the familiar voice and grinned, turning towards his good friend. The little dog-like monster smiled and him and nuzzled against his leg.

“Oh, good morning Temmie! Long time no see!” he leaned down to pet her fluffy hair. “Where have you been?”

“oH! Tem VERY busy laTELy!! But tem missed her goOD friend!”

“I missed you too, Temmie! I’m happy to see you again. Wanna play tag on the ice? You’re it!” Blue gently pat her head and run towards the ice, jumping and landing on the surface with grace. He turned around to face his friend but she was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, something kicked his leg and he yelped, almost losing balance.

“YOU’re IT!!” Temmie laughed sinisterly, dark vibe in her voice.

“H-hey! No magic and teleporting! Come back here you!” Sans yelled cheerfully as he chased smaller monster.

They played for a long time, sometimes stopping to catch a breath; the unsettling thoughts he had earlier fade away, his mind too busy focusing on their small game. It wasn’t their first time – they liked to fool around together, Temmie preferring more “hardcore” kinds of entertainment that could lead to possible injury and overall being a little dangerous while Sans tried to tone her ideas down. He enjoyed her company, even if she sometimes said weird things. He trusted his friends.

Time passed by and the two headed toward the puzzles. Temmie gently tugged the hem of his boot to get Sans’ attention. He noticed she had been staring at him since they stopped playing, but he ignored it. Sans tilted his head and looked at the monster.

“What?” Temmie gestured him to come closer and whispered.

“Friend look VERY HAPPY but PENSive todai. Tem curious. DID… something hapen??”

“Oh… Well, yes… yes indeed! My biggest dream has come true!” Blue yelled, unable to hide his joy as his pupils changed into stars. The thought alone made him want to scream. He just realized how much he wanted to share his happiness with someone else!

“OH!! FRIEND BECAME ROYAL GUARD???” Temmie sounded as excited as Blue, her tail wagging furiously. But Sans stopped instead, taken aback by her words, surprise written all over his face. Right, he told Temmie that was his biggest dream… and it was! For most of the time it was. That one night it wasn’t. And since that night he finally understood what he really wanted. Something he’ll never have.

“N-not that, actually…” Sans looked to the side and he couldn’t stop himself from blushing. As much as he wanted to share the amazing news, he knew it was scandalous and even his friend wouldn’t accept it. It was wrong to even call it a ‘dream’, he’d rather call it a nightmare. Dreams should not involve using someone for your own sick enjoyment.

“oh…?” Temmie seemed to be really surprised by that. She observed him for a moment and became serious, her small smile disappearing. She was even more interested now; the smaller monster leaned closer, their faces not far away from each other. Sans hesitantly looked at his friend.

“Not that? Then what happened?” a small smirk returned, Sans would say it looked evil if he didn’t know his friend better. She watched him attentively, titling her head a little. “What was your biggest dream, Sans?”

“I… I can’t tell you”

“Oh? Why not?”

“It’s very… personal” he didn’t want to lie, but it was supposed his little secret. Damn his long tongue! No one should ever know what he did.

“You can trust me, Sans. I’m your best friend! And friends don’t hide anything from each other, right?” Temmie was right, she was his best friend. She showed and told him so many interesting things! He felt his soul being crushed by the guilt, now not only by hurting Papy but also his friend. None of them deserved to be treated like this, but he couldn’t say anything. He just couldn’t.

“I’m s-sorry, Temmie. I can’t, please u-understand” his voice was shaking and he couldn’t stand the look in his friend eyes. Betrayal. The look he wanted to avoid from Papyrus. Sans sat down on the snow and hid his face in his hands, trying hard to not start crying.

He felt a small paw on his shoulder, slowly moving up and down in smoothing motion.

“Oh my little Sans, of course I understand” her voice surprisingly sweeter than ever. “I understand there must be a reason. I’m a very understanding friend! And forgiving one, too! No need to spill tears” Sans sobbed quietly, but her words eased his soul. He wasn’t worthy of such a good friend like Temmie.

“There, there. I’m sure one day you will trust me enough to tell me, for now let’s just drop this topic, okay?” the small skeleton nodded and smiled. The fluffy monster hugged him, her hair tickling his nose. Temmie was always here for him, always knew when to show up on time.

He let go of her, stood up and shook off the snow. He wasn’t himself today; too many emotions filled his soul. He couldn’t control them and he couldn’t stop them from controlling him either. He needed to do something to exhaust himself, this way he could vent everything out.

Sans doesn’t even remember when was the last time he was so happy to train with Alphys.

“Now, I’m quite certain I saw someone getting caught in one of your traps! What if THAt wAS a HUMAN??” Temmie’s voice changed into her excited tone again as if nothing happened, her impulsive nature working on him like always.

“You think… it really could BE A HUMAN?” there was that spark again in his glassy eyes, he got excited every time she mentioned humans. What was that about humans that worked him up so much? Blue wiped his eyes and neatened his blue bandana. If that was really a human, he had to make a good first impression!

“Maybe they’re still there! We have to go and check now, Temmie! Come!”  he dashed towards the puzzles with renewed vigor, but stopped when he noticed his friend was not following him.

“Tem BUSY, remember? YOU GO alone, Tem MUst  go!!” the little dog-like monster smiled at him again and Sans waved his hand. “HAVE fun and SEE you laTER!”

“Bye!” Sans yelled to the fading form in the trees and wasted no time, turning away and running to the spot where his puzzles and traps were supposed to be.

Temmie followed him, hidden in the white snow, tracking his movements with fascination. What an unexpected turn of events! What did the little soft-headed Blueberry do? What could make him react so unpredictably? Temmie giggled to herself. This was going to be interesting for sure. And she couldn’t wait to make it worse.

It didn’t take long for Sans to get to his puzzles. Much to his disappointment, the person that got caught was Jerry, not a real human. He told this annoying monster to stay away from his traps so many times he lost count. Not only he gave Sans blind hope, Jerry broke the trap mechanism that is hard to set. As soon as Blue managed to convince him to leave, the skeleton began fixing his trap. Because he had to be very cautious with this one, it took his almost an hour.

When he was done, he went to check his other puzzles and traps. Every left untouched, no surprise there. The only person that fell for his traps was Jerry of course; he was the main reason Blue had to come here so many times to make sure the other didn’t freeze to death. Even if it annoyed him quite a bit, working on his puzzles and improving them was fun and it never failed to entertain him. It was a great distraction too because he had to be focused on the task, which was perfect opportunity to calm down.

It was getting late and soon he’d have to go to Alphys place. He did not know what time it was, but Blue was sure he won’t make it on time. It’s not like she’s going to be angry about that, but he’s always punctual. He’s done with all the questions for today, so hopefully Alphys won’t mind him being a bit later than usual.

Sans got to the Waterfall fairly quickly. Thankfully no one on his way to his lizard friend bothered to stop and chat with him, not that be would’ve minded that much. He wanted to be everyone’s friend, after all.

Once he got to the door, he knocked on the wooden surface. Sans could hear quiet clatter and steps on the other side of the entrance coming closer. He instinctually jumped to the side in good time, just as a giant axe broke through the wood with loud bang.

Alphys kicked the door open, or rather kicked it out of its frames, destroying the door completely. Once their eyes met, she grinned.

“THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE PUMPKINHEAD! TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!” Sans dodged the upcoming fist, laughing nervously. She was in the mood today, no doubt about that. “ARE YOU READY TO GET YOUR ASS KICKED? YOU’RE LATE!”

“Sorry, C-captain! And yes, I am ready!” he tried to stand still and straight, but it was quite hard when he had to avoid all the spears Alphys threw at him while she was talking.

“I HOPE YOU ARE!” she slapped him on his back with enough force to knock the breath out of him. “TO THE TRAINING AREA, NOW! NYAAAGH!” Sans nodded quickly and sprinted toward the field behind Alphys house, the other monster right behind him. Oh dear, this is going to be one hell of a training. As bad as it sounded, that was what Sans needed right now.

Before he could stop at his usual position, his Captain already initiated her attack. Usually they started with something easy to warm up, but this time he couldn’t stop for a moment because it’d mean being pierced by a spear. The lizard was careful with her attacks, but she wanted to push him to his limits as a punishment. Sans skillfully dodged the blue spears, tactually moving away from the monster to extend the time for reaction. He couldn’t attack just yet; he had to save energy for later. He wanted to tire her, placing small bones on the ground for her to evade. Because of that she had to not only follow him but also run around, so he wasn’t the only who couldn’t stop.

They kept this for a long time, neither of them giving up. When he noticed Alphys started sweating, he began to toss small bones at her. She avoided them with no problem, focusing mostly on throwing spears at Blue. He felt his stamina running low, it was the time; now or never.

Alphys did not expect a bone to appear right in front her as she was used to them being summoned as a blockade that she could see. She tripped over, stopping all of her attacks. It was the moment Sans rushed over and jumped on her. The lizard lost balance and fell on her face with the skeleton on her back. Before she could react, a blue bone broke through her body. She felt the familiar magic run in her veins and soon after she couldn’t move, her white soul turning blue.

“Hah! Gotcha this time, cap! Mweh heh!” he panted out, giggling and gasping for air. He was all sweaty and wet, but it was worth it. It was one of the few times he actually managed to win with Alphys.

“NGHH! DAMN YOU, PUNK!” she tried to struggle, but to no avail. Sans let go of her and moved away, his magic leaving her body. As soon as she could move, Alphys turned over to lie on her back and grinned at him, her pointy teeth gleaming in the weak cave light.

“That was a nice one, Sans! I can see you’re improving” she gave him the thumbs-up. “Keep this up!”

“Thank you, Captain”

“Wanna come to me? I got some fruity tea from Undyne and it’s delicious, you gotta try it!” Sans helped her stand up which wasn’t easy, the lizard was more than twice as heavy as him.

“Sure, Alph. Let’s get some sweet tea and relax a bit”

Blue sat at the table while Alphys made some tea for them. Soon she joined him with two wonderfully smelling cups of tea and a jar of cookies.

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” the lizard asked casually, biting into her cookie.

“No, not really. Why you ask?”

“I’m going to Undyne for an anime marathon. Whole night! Wanna come over?”

It sounded cool, Sans had to admit. But as much as he wanted to join them, there was one important thing stopping him. Papyrus. He was home, Sans wasn’t sure for how long, but he was home. He wanted to spend with him as much time as he could. He knew once Red will call him, Stretch will leave again. Blue couldn’t stop him; he had his own life of course and Sans respected that. But if there was an opportunity to spend time together, he shouldn’t waste it.

“That would be amazing, but I have to say no. Papy is home and I have to take care of him”

Alphys nodded, she knew how desperately Sans wanted to be close to his brother. He told her many times how he missed him, sometimes even cried when Papyrus was gone for more than a week. She would gladly give Stretch a piece of her mind, but Sans asked her not to.

“Your loss, punk! But I get it, someone has to look out for that lazy dickhead”

“Hey, don’t call him that!” it was cute to see Sans instantly turn into his protective mode. The look on his face was just adorable. “And don’t swear!”

“Sure sure, pumpkinhead. Now go before he does something stupid” she stuck her tongue out at him and Sans chuckled heartily. He knew that was how she showed that she cares and understands.

They chatted a while longer, mostly about the slowly increasing criminality in Hotland. Soon after they said goodbyes and Blue walked back home. It was really late now, usually by this time he was in bed already. He couldn’t wait to see Papy again and cuddle with him like he used to do. They can do their own anime marathon! With hot chocolate and biscuits that Sans saved for a special occasion. It was special, after all! They could end the anime they started watching yesterday. There weren’t many episodes left, but later they could play some games or watch other movies. Maybe even go to the waterfall and watch the glowing crystals, or like he preferred to call them, stars. Papyrus often took him there when Sans couldn’t sleep. They sat there in silence, watching the stars and listening to the flowers.

Blue opened the front door took off his boots. He was all dirty for the training so a shower was a must.

“Papy! I’m home!” Sans called out, expecting his sibling to come and greet him like he always did.

 

Little did he know, there was no one home.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

The lights in the living room and kitchen were off, so Papyrus was probably in his room. He turned the light on and, to his disappointment, found out that the rooms looked as filthy as he left them.

Sans frowned and sighed. He really wanted to have a nice evening, but now he will have to remind his brother about his terrible behavior. Was it really that hard for him? To help Blue, at least once? Now he had to do that himself and he didn’t really have enough energy or will to clean.

Firstly, he needed to take a shower. He went upstairs to get fresh clothes and stopped near Papy’s room. Was his brother asleep? He didn’t come out when Blue called him.

Sans decided to knock at the door. No response. He tried knocking again, but only dead silence answered him.

“Papy? Are you awake?” Blue waited a little longer, yet nothing happened. He quietly pushed the door open. The lights were off, but he could see the bed. The empty bed.

“W-what? He’s not here?” he didn’t want to believe what he was seeing, or rather what he couldn’t see. Sans breath hitched, he closed the door and opened it violently again, hoping that his sibling miraculously will appear out of nowhere.

He stood there in a cold sweat, frozen in his thoughts. He didn’t think Papyrus would leave so suddenly, no goodbyes or anything. Red was busy, wasn’t he? Maybe Papyrus went to Muffets because he was bored?

The thought alone angered Sans. He had time to be lazy and waste time there, but not help his brother with housework? Was Sans not worth spending time with? He gritted his teeth, choked with negative emotions. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, the anger mixed with sadness and helplessness overwhelming him. He kicked the door and it closed with a loud thud. The silence, only broken by quiet sniffs, felt as if it was attacking him. Laughing at his pity, at the pain in his soul. It didn’t feel like home when Papyrus wasn’t there. Home should be where you feel safe and the only place where Sans felt safe was near his brother.

First tear fell down on the floor covering. Sans watched it slowly disappear, leaving a darker spot on the material. He shouldn’t act so impulsively, but Blue was so unstable lately it was difficult to control himself. He should find out first where Paryrus is and then decide what to do.

Sans pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked for Muffet number. He began walking towards the bathroom as he waited for the spider monster to answer.

“Oh hello, sweetie! How are you?” a happy voice greeted him.

“Hey Muff, I’m good. Is Papyrus with you?” Sans tried to sound neutral, but he couldn’t hide the weariness.

“No, he’s not here, my dear. Is Papyrus okay? I haven’t seen him for months”

“Oh?...” Blue didn’t expect that, but after all this wasn’t the only place where Papyrus usually went. “Y-yes, he’s fine. Very good even; just spends a lot of time with Red” there was no response for a short time and a quiet, barely noticeable sigh.

“I understand, sweetie. Say hello to him from me, okay? Everyone here miss his presence! And you could stop by sometimes, too.”

“Sure, Muff. And thank you, I’ll think about it. Talk to you later.”

“Have a nice evening and bye, Blue!”

If Papyrus wasn’t there then where could he have gone? There were times Papyrus went somewhere Sans wasn’t sure and usually came back happier. Maybe there? He should just call him and-

A note.  His eyes noticed the note on the table in the living room, a piece of paper that surely wasn’t there before. He quickly moved closer and grabbed it.

It was from Papyrus, that’s for sure yet it seemed like he wrote it in a hurry.

 

_‘Hey bro, I thought I should let you know that I’m going to Red because he has some free time this evening. Don’t worry bro, I won’t bother you for some time._

_Oh and sorry for not cleaning, but you know me. I’m sure someone as great as you can do it with ease!!_

_Love you, Paps’_

 

Sans fell on the sofa. _‘Back to the cold reality’_ he thought.

He laughed dryly, staring blankly at the wall. This was the most obvious explanation, yet he refused to think about it as an option. He didn’t want to believe Papy really wanted to be with Red so much, but the information on the note was clear. And there he was denying his friends invitation for his brother, only to find out he evidently did not matter as much to Papyrus and he’d rather spend time with someone else.

His hands trembled as his soul was filled with suppressed fury, jealousy and sorrow.

“Fine! I hope you have a great time, goddamn it!” Sans shouted as he ripped the note into pieces. He wanted to hit and hug Papyrus at the same time, as he was the cause of all of this. If only he understood how much Sans cares about him, if only he knew how badly Sans needed him. But he doubted it would keep Papyrus from going back to Red, him knowing wouldn’t change anything at all, if not make things worse. Yet it didn't stop the rising anger that fuelled his emotions.

He felt torn apart inside. He wanted to scream everything he felt at Papyrus’ face yet in the same time, he wanted the best for him. His brother was just making everything difficult, putting his patience to a test. Even the memorable night wasn’t helping him feel better.

Oh. What if Papyrus left so fast because he… knew?

Sans shivered and felt sweat run down his forehead. He picked the small piece of paper with only a few letters on it now. It was written in a hurry, he was certain of it. Papyrus could have written it right after Sans left and run away while he wasn’t home… but Papyrus looked okay in the morning. He acted like it was a casual morning routine, nothing out of the ordinary. His brother did seem suspicious at first, but he relaxed later. Was it all just acting? To mislead Sans and get him to leave? The more he thought about it the scarier it seemed. He could imagine Papyrus looking down at him with disgust, like he was looking at anomaly. His breath became irregular, he could feel his soul pounding and hear ringing in his skull, just like he was small and he was getting close to a panic attack. But this time his brother wasn’t here to reassure him everything is okay.

He jumped as the phone in his pocket buzzed. With a shaky hand, he pulled it out and checked the message; it was hard to read as his vision became unclear.

It was from Undyne.

 _‘H-hey, Sans! I heard you’re with your brother… h-how are you two?_ :)’

He could feel his soul sink ever further. He barely managed to hit the right letters and send the message.

_‘No, Papyrus is not home.’_

Sans almost crushed the phone in his hands, trying his best to hold the tears. Before he got to put the device back into his pocket, it buzzed again; constantly this time.

He looked at the screen. Undyne was calling him? She usually was too shy to talk. But he wouldn’t mind talking with somebody right now.

“Hello?” Blue shyly said, but dropped the phone soon after.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S NOT HOME?!” to his surprise, it was Alphys. And, unsurprisingly, she was screaming.

“H-he… left. He went to R-red” there was silence on the other side followed by a loud crash. And then again, silence.

“Hello? A-alphys?” soon he heard the familiar hang up sound, confusing the skeleton even more. “What?”

The phone buzzed again, now Alphys number appeared on the screen. He hesitantly accepted the call, but kept the phone far away this time.

“-d I apologise, right?!”

“Um, Alphys? What happened?”

“Oh! A small inconvenience, but its fine!” the lizard said cheerfully; he could hear Undyne cry out in the back. “No it’s not! It’s broken!”

“What does she mean?”

“I kind of... broke her phone” another groan from the fishy monster. “But it’s not important now! You should come to us, Sans! It’s super fun, I’m telling you. Undyne found a new anime about humans and monsters! You’ve got to see it”

Blue felt a little spark of happiness awake in his soul. Even if Alphys was trying to hide it, he could hear she was angry. Angry for him. She always spoke faster when something was bothering her. He knew she cared about him, in her own more or less friendly way. And Undyne too… but was it okay to come to them now? He declined earlier and even if he was dying for some company, he didn’t want to burst into tears in front of them because most likely they were going to ask him about what happened, they were having fun and he wasn’t sure if he could actually keep smiling after everything that happened today.

“I’d love to, Alph, I really would, b-but…” Blues voice broke, his mind out of good excuses. He just wanted to stop the pain in his soul.

“That wasn’t a question” she was no longer trying to appear cheerful, the warning in her tone was more than clear. “You will come here or I will drag you here by myself, you hear me, pumpkinhead?!”

Blue laughed sadly and wiped his eyes. There was no arguing with this stubborn lizard, he has learned that long time ago. She was probably right; it would do no good to stay and let his emotional state get any worse. He was already grateful she called him, he didn’t even want to think what would happen if she decided not to.

“I, uh… I will, Alphys. Just give some time, alright?” Sans stood up and started picking up the remains or the note. “I… um, need a shower”

“Fine, whatever. As long as your boney ass will show up here I don’t mind” Alphys said way calmer now, most possibly because Undyne was trying to convince her to be easier on Blue, her quiet voice hardly noticeable. “Just hurry up, okay?” she added with concern in her voice.

“I will. See you soon then?” he put the pieces of paper in a bin and walked towards the bathroom door.

“Aye! Grab some tasty snacks and come. See ya!” soon after the lizard hung up and Blue went to the bathroom.

The skeleton almost jumped as he saw his face in the mirror. He should’ve expected that after such a draining training, but it still surprised him a little. He was so dirty his bone changed the color in some places and he was certain he wasn’t going to use those clothes any time soon. He literally had dirt between his bones, now that he has noticed that it felt uncomfortable. There were sweat stains everywhere and surely any monster wouldn’t like that nasty smell covering every part of his body. The view itself was enough to make him want to jump into a hot tub and stay there for a few hours, but his friends were waiting for him.

Sans began to strip, starting from the bottom. His socks smelled so bad he threw them into the farthest corner of the room. He was too tired to care about them now; he removed his pants and put them into a clothes basket, yawning loudly while doing so. Then he slowly took off his t-shirt, revealing… his tummy? When did he conjure it?

He looked in the mirror, confusion written all over his face. No mistake about it, his blue stomach was there. He gently moved his palm on the flat surface, still trying to wrap his head around why it’s summoned.

It rarely happened, mostly when he ate or drank too much and his body couldn’t absorb it fast enough so it created a place to store it. He did eat some cookies when he was in Alphys house, but did he really eat that much?

That seemed obvious, after all. It wouldn’t conjure if he hadn’t eaten more than he should.

Without any further thought, he stepped into the shower. The hot water caressed his tender body; it felt so good he sighed pleasantly, slowly closing his eyes. The warm liquid tickled his spine pleasurably and it felt like the stream was washing all the pains from today, all the negative emotions. Just the sound of running water hitting the surface mattered now, only the enjoyable wetness covering his bones. He didn’t want to think about anything as he was afraid of what could come to his mind.

Sans turned the water off and began washing his body with a sponge, carefully scrubbing his bones. When he reached his flat stomach, he smiled a little. Blue was really proud of himself – compared to Papy, his tummy was way smaller and nicely shaped, thanks to the exercises and healthy diet. He was in no means skinny; a little amount of fat fitted him perfectly. He was a really handsome skeleton, if he said so himself.

It didn’t take him long before he was ready to go out. Soon Sans was out of the shower, dry and clean; he dressed in grey jeans, white shirt with long blue sleeves that matched the color of his bandana. Then he went to the kitchen to take the biscuits he had hidden from Papyrus some time ago, luckily they were still good. The next step was to take his phone from the living room.

“A new message?” Sans asked himself, opening the attached picture from Alphys. It was them, Undyne and Alphys in front of the photo, grinning cheerfully with thumb ups; there was table behind them full of greasy, fast food. He could also see cd’s with possibly some anime episodes lying on the floor as well as a few cans of beer. In the bottom of the picture was written _“we’re waiting for you!_ _♥”._ It warmed his soul, knowing that his friends cared so much about him. He should stop being so gloomy… it wasn’t his style at all! He was The Magnificent Sans, the most liked person in Snowdin! The friend to anyone in need, the soon-to-be member of the Royal Guard!

And at least for today, he should stop thinking about Papyrus.

With renewed energy, he jumped into his black sneakers, quickly picked his brown leather jacket and left the house.

_________

 

If anyone wondered how does Sans outfit looks like, I made it in Sims lol; something like this [(link)](https://imgur.com/a/pNALU)


	4. Chapter 4

It was already really dark outside. At this hour, every monster hid in their house, not really willing to face the lower temperature than usual. To Blue it didn’t matter as much – unless he stayed outside for a long time, doing nothing. The cold was bearable to him, not really pleasant and welcome, but surely as a skeleton he had more resistance than most residents of Snowdin.

His bright blue eyes were glowing in the dark as he calmly walked through the town to the forest near the river. Once in a while he could hear muffled laugher coming from Muffets bakery, with each step more and more distant. It was snowing again; small, white flakes were slowly falling down, gently pushed by the weak breeze. Sans regretted choosing his sneakers for this evening as he didn’t think it’d be snowing again, he could already feel small balls of snow forming between his toes and under his feet, making it uncomfortable to walk. He wanted to look good and handsome, but not at that cost. It’s not like he wasn’t handsome in other clothes! The Magnificent Sans looked handsome in everything; he was a cool skeleton after all.

He enjoyed the quietness around him as he walked near the dense forest; no kids playing, no birds singing, nor other monster passing by. Just the flow of the water, just the snow crunching sound could be heard when he walked towards the cavern.

Yet the smoothing effect of silence did not last for long. Way too soon it started to remind him of the same silence he had to deal with in his house, the unbearable emptiness everywhere around him… and in his soul.

“Don’t think about it, don’t think about it” Sans hurriedly repeated to himself, trying his best to ignore the gloomy thoughts forming in his mind; he shook his head and sped up.

He decided to travel by boat from Waterfall to Hotland. Sans hoped the river person would still be kind enough to take him for a ride at late hour, he didn’t want to seem impolite and bother the strange monster.

When he was getting close to the river, he could hear the quiet humming; it was a good sign – the hooded creature was nearby. Sans passed the last corner and walked toward the splashing sound of the river; soon he was able to see the brown boat, rising and falling on the water.

The river person stopped humming as they spotted the skeleton.

“Tra la la. Care for a ride?” the monster asked singingly, looking at him from under their cloak. Sans could not see their eyes, but surely he felt observed.

“Yes, I would like to get to Hotland. Could you take me there, please?”

“Of course; take a seat and we’re off” the hooded person gestured him to sit behind them and began humming again. Blue got on the boat and they sailed towards Undyne home.

Sans listened to the monster in silence and watched the glowing crystals in the ceiling. These looked a bit different than the ones in Waterfall – more colorful, but smaller and sharper. He always wondered how they’d feel in touch…

“Tra la la… apology is politeness too late” the river person suddenly spoke; their voice emotionless and low, reflected off the walls formed an eerie echo.  Sans looked at the monster’s back and a shiver ran down his spine, the sudden change in atmosphere made him feel uneasy and almost anxious.

“W... what?” he hesitantly asked, maybe he misheard them? Blue did not understand what the monster was talking about.

The river person did not say a word, nor did they move. After a while they started humming again as if nothing was said, as if Blue just imagined him say that.

Sans knew that this monster was not really communicative to say at least and that sometimes they talked to... well, no one. It was hard to guess what they wanted to say sometimes, but usually it somehow made sense. Was the monster talking to itself again? Or was it all just Blue’s imagination?

Just when he wanted to ask the river person what they said, the other one spoke.

“It was a nice ride” they stopped near the riverbank in Hotland. “Tra la la. Come again sometime”

“I… uh” Sans jumped off the boat and turned toward the monster. “Thank you for taking me with you”

The river person bowed slightly, but said nothing more.

It wasn’t long till Sans finally got to the Undyne’s lab. He approached the massive gate and gently pushed the button under an intercom to call his friends.

“Hello? Is that you Sans?” it was Undyne speaking; quiet buzz could be heard when the intercom was turned on.

“Yes, will you let me in?”

“Y-yeah! Hold on…” Blue moved away from the gate and waited. It began to open, just a little bit and the fish monster peeked outside, only her head visible.

“Come in, Sans! Quickly, it’s way too h-hot here and I don’t wait all that hot air to get inside” he nodded and rushed to her; sometimes it was hard for him to decide whenever it’s really hot or cold as it wasn’t that bad for him.

Undyne closed the gate right after he walked in.

“You are faster than I thought” she said. “Alphys went to get more alcohol because we were sure it will take you longer to get here”

“It would if I didn’t decide to use the boat instead of walking to get to Hotland” He took off his sneakers. Because the snow has melted, his boots were soaked up and not really comfortable to wear now.

“O-oh, I should have thought of that…” she seemed embarrassed by that as she stared at the floor. “Can… Can I get you something to e-eat instead? Because y-you know, Alphys went for more beers and I don’t have anything else to drink or m-maybe you want some snacks… p-perhaps you don’t want to eat- um, do you want to eat? I have some quick s-soups and some bags of chips and… and- g-gosh, I’m a terrible host”

It was so easy for her to start panicking Sans felt sorry for her. Even if they were friends, she was always overreacting, even when Sans told her to relax, that everything is alright.

He walked toward her and embraced her in a gentle hug; a bit of an awkward position to be in – because of his… respectable height, his skull was resting on her breasts. He could feel her muscles tense, but she returned the gesture.

“Stop it, Undyne. You’re overreacting again” he said quietly. ”Take it easy, you’re doing great! Thank you for inviting me, that’s really kind of you.”

She calmed down and let go of the small skeleton, her cheeks were still flushed but she smiled at him genuinely. “S-sorry. I thought… we thought that you would like some company”

“I do, actually. Could I have some water?” Undyne nodded her head enthusiastically and led him to the small kitchen in her ridiculously big lab.

“I h-have some tea if you want, Sans” she picked a package of teabags and handed it to him. “This one is really good! Especially when you add a little of honey…” she sighed, a blissful look on her face. “ohh, the taste is subtle but so rich! And with the honey – it is the best tea I have ever tried!”

“Ah, I know this one! Alphys let me try it earlier today, told me she got it from you”

“Really?! And what do you think??” Undyne seemed to be nervous but very interested as well, anxiously rubbing fingers together.

“Well… I haven’t tried it with honey, but I definitely enjoyed the taste. You picked a great one, Undyne!” the adorably happy look she gave him was priceless. “And I am up for another cup of this amazing tea”

She squealed a small ‘okay!’ and put the kettle on. Meanwhile they were preparing the cup of tea for Sans, Alphys came back with more alcohol and snacks. She greeted him with visible relief and joy, asking him how he got here before her. While he was explaining, they moved to the first floor where Undyne’s room was and where their small event was officially happening; it was so messy it gave Blue a full body shudder, but he ignored it. It was a party! It was normal! It was the time to get drunk and enjoy the time spent with his dear friends.

After Sans finished his tea, he instantly grabbed a beer. It had been some time since his last ‘getting so drunk he can’t even walk’ and he would be lying if he said the thought of total blackout wasn’t appealing to him. Anything to forget his fears - even getting horribly drunk, yet he had to admit it sounded pretty desperate. And luckily for him, hangover rarely hit him hard.

“Whoa! I see someone is full of vigor” the lizard laughed. “But don’t get too drunk too quickly. We wanted to have some fun before any of us won’t be able to stand anymore”

Blue let go of the already half empty can. “What do you have in mind, Alph?”

“Well f-for now, I think we’re going to watch a movie” Undyne interrupted, showing an old CD.

“Oh?... Weren’t we supposed to watch anime? That’s what you said earlier” Sans took the CD into his hand and read the poorly written title; he had never heard about this film before.

“You see, punk, we thought a comedy would be better for today.” Alphys picked a small sweet roll and started chewing on it. “Can’t watch only anime all the time”

Sans nodded with a forced smile and looked down, staring at his knees. Alphys told him earlier that they will be doing an anime marathon… yet they changed their plans. He remembers how excited the lizard was when the she told him about it and how awesome it is going to be, but… most probably for him, his friends picked something else. It made him awfully sad and happy as he didn’t want to disturb the schedule for their party, but he appreciated the gesture. He tightened his hold on the can, the thin metal bended under the pressure with a characteristic sound.

“Sans” it was Alphys, her voice low but not threatening. Her hand landed on his shoulder and he slightly jumped, unsure if he should look at her or not. “I have a request for you”

“Y-yes, Alph?”

“Don’t think about anything that makes you sad or worried today” he glanced at her, his brows furrowed.  “Just for today, let go of everything. For me, please. Can you do that?”

As much as he wanted to say okay, he wasn’t sure if that was a lie. He really tried his best to remain calm, to not think. It was just hard not to when he felt that almost everything he did was wrong in some way, at some point lately.

But he will try ever harder. For his friend.

“I… I can do that” in one breath he blurted out, fidgeting anxiously on the seat.

“That didn’t sound convincing at all!”

“I will! I promise I will. Rule number one for today – no thinking! Got it” they gave each other a smile, this time honestly. “Thanks, Alph”

“That’s the spirit!” she shouted cheerfully as one of her fists landed on the table, making everything shake dangerously. “Now let’s get the party going!”

They started with the movie, a comedy about one man’s career. It caught everyone’s attention at the beginning, but as they were exchanging words and getting drunk slowly, it lost its importance and worked as the background sound.

They discussed a lot of things, but all of them were careful not to start a topic that would displease or make Sans uncomfortable as his well-being was the priority at this party. It wasn’t like it was hard to avoid such matters – as long as they did not mention Papyrus, everything was alright. Alphys noticed how his relationship with his brother had changed during past few months as she was his closest friend, but he never wanted to talk about it. He came to her crying many times, spilling all the worries connected with the taller skeleton yet when she wanted to start a serious conversation and understand why doesn’t he find someone else to spend time with, he backed out every time. She did not want to push him, but it was getting ridiculous and she could not just watch this poor, innocent monster suffer.  All of this was wearing him out and she could see that, everyone in Underground noticed how he changed. Her hatred towards Papyrus grew each time Sans was sad; he was the only truly pure and harmless monster in this world and he didn’t deserve to be treated like this. And she was done acting like it was okay.

As they were getting more and more drunk, stupid ideas started coming to their minds. It escalated quickly from calm chatting to yelling, their laughter filled the lab as they messed around. Undyne was sitting cross-legged on a big, fluffy pillow in a blanket ford they built, her mouth hidden behind her hands as she tried her best to stop laughing uncontrollably as she watched the two scream at each other, arguing who would be the better superhero, barely standing straight and slurring.

“You may be strong, Alphys, but you lack the charm I have! Every girl-hic- would fall from me!”

“Ha! For you, pumpkinhead?! Maybe if someone likes dwarfs, then yeah!” she could see how Sans’ cheeks flushed, disbelief written all over his face.

“Hey, I’m not that small!” the adorable irritation radiated from him, but the lizard just smirked instead.

“I would have believed it if I had seen it with my own eyes” Sans looked at her questionably, but the realization hit him soon after. Almost his whole skull was blue now and he was at loss of words.

“Al-Alphys! You pervert! You know that’s not what I meant!” she burst out laughing and he sighed helplessly, but smiled at her soon after and giggled.

“You think you are so charming, eh?” Alphys calmed down and cleared her throat. “Let’s see who is better, then!” she pointed at Undyne who was lying now, her face stained with happy tears. “And she will judge! You up for it, punk?”

“I accept the challenge! Get really for your ultimate failure!” he was the best at talking and flirting! He remembered every pick-up line from the dating manual! Alphys had no chance with him!

“Alright, you start” Alphys said and picked up another can of beer.

Blue stood up proudly, smirking smugly with lightly lidded eyes. He kept his voice low and a little husky, just like the manual instructed. “You may fall from the sky, you may fall from a tree, but the best way to fall… Is in love with me”

“Ohh!” Undyne squeaked. “That was so adorable!” she wasn’t sure if she could take Sans seriously; he was just too cute for it!

“Hah, nice try! But listen to the real expert!” Alphys interrupted. “Look doll, if loving you is wrong… I don’t want to be right” she purred, rising her eyebrows.

“G-gosh, I’m a-a-a little overwhelmed h-here…” Undyne face flushed furiously. Her hidden crush on the lizard and the fact that she was flirting with her was almost enough to make her swoon.

“Hah doll, I’m not flirting. I’m just being extra nice to someone who is extra attractive” the fish monster was screaming internally, she had picked the winner before they even started. But she was greedy… and she wanted to hear more. “Well, S-sans. Anything y-you want to say?”

Blue came closer to her instead and placed her hand on his shirt. “Do you feel my shirt?” he asked and she nodded slowly. “That’s how boyfriend material feels like”

She laughed nervously, playing with her hair. He chuckled and looked at her smugly. “Also, do you have a map?”

“N-no? Why?”

“’Cause I’m lost in your eyes” he winked at her and she huffed through gritted teeth, unbearably embarrassed now. Why was it so hot all of the sudden?

“Hey, Undyne!” Alphys yelled from behind but soon came closer too, her cheeks flushed a little as well. “Let’s flip a coin! Heads, you’re mine; Tails, I’m yours”

“Aww! I-I, uh” she was so amazed by the two silly monsters she couldn’t even talk properly. “I don’t think I c-can take it a-anymore”

“Well, who do you pick then?” the lizard said and shoot a glance to Sans, who was still sure of his victory.

“I… I think… I t-think you, Alphys” she said quietly, unable to keep the eye contact with her.

“What?! Impossible!” Sans was indignant; those were his best pick-up lines! He had to admit Alphys’ ones were good too but he was the best!

“I’m s-sorry, Sans. You almost w-won with h-her, I swear!” he whined. “You were amazing, I’m sure e-every girl would f-fall for you!”

Blue looked at her with those big, sad puppy eyes and she instantly regretted not letting him win. “Oh, come h-here, Sans!” he climbed on her lap and she hugged him tightly. “I-I take that b-back. This ends in a draw! You both did great”

Blue held her close and glanced at Alphys, who did not seem impressed at all. When their eyes meet, he stuck his tongue out with a victorious smirk and she snorted.

“You little, clever devil… now I know what you meant by charming” Sans giggled at that. Maybe this wasn’t truly fair… but he was meant to win! The Magnificent Sans was second to none when it came to flirting!... Even though it was his first time. But he did fantastically, if he do say so himself!

Undyne released the small skeleton from her hug, stretched and yawned. “I don’t k-know about you guys, but I’m getting sleepy”

“What time is it?” Blue asked and yawned himself, the thought of a warm bed seemed nice.

“Around 3 a.m. I think” the lizard added. “And sadly, I will have to go. I’ve got work tomorrow and I just can’t wait for the proper hangover…”

“Oh! Then I should go too! I must-“

“No” Alphys stopped Sans as he tried to get up. ”You stay. I give you a day off tomorrow, you hear me? You deserve it” when he opened his mouth, she instantly added “Nu-uh! I don’t want to hear whatever you want to say. You stay here and enjoy yourself, that’s an order!”

Blue slowly sat down, his unsaid protest was met with a glare from the lizard. That stubborn lizard.

…He couldn’t thank her enough.

Sans grinned cheerfully. “Aye, Captain!”

They all went to the main gate and said goodbyes, Alphys thanked Sans for coming and Undyne for her hospitality. It took them a little to separate, but when the lizard finally left they went back to Undyne’s room.

“So” started the fish monster. “I think we all had enough for today, don’t you think?”

Sans yawned again. “We could still play a little… I’m not that sleepy!”

She giggled “Really? Well then… give me a moment, I need to wash myself” the skeleton nodded as she picked a towel and her pajama. “When I come back, we’ll play”

Undyne went to her bathroom and took a quick shower; she needed more water than most monsters to live and sometimes she had to take extra showers just to stay hydrated. Living in the hot area did not help, but she needed access to her lab at any time.

Just like she thought, when she came back to her room, the adorable pile of bones was already asleep on the floor. Undyne gently picked him up and placed on her loveseat, careful not to drop him too quickly. Then she covered his body with a soft blanket and he instantly wrapped himself in it.

Undyne sighed – he was so adorable, just looking at his peaceful face made her heart melt. Alphys was right – he did not deserve to suffer.

He was the kindest monster in the Underground – everyone knew him, there wasn’t a single person he didn’t talk to or didn’t try to befriend. He put others well-being over his – the skeleton would sacrifice himself for a total stranger. Sans tried to keep everyone happy, he wanted to help them even when they weren’t in need. No matter from what perspective you looked at this skeleton – he was almost perfect.

And neither of them could stand the thought of Sans crying himself to sleep because of his brother, or rather the lack of his presence. He did nothing to ask for such cruel fate.

They both agreed that he had to endure this one-sided torment for too long and it was time to stop this.

She will introduce Sans to their plan tomorrow. For now, he should enjoy the well-deserved rest.

 

____________

Did you know that writing ~2k words takes me 5-10 hours?


	5. A friend in need is a friend indeed

Sans woke up first. His eyes slowly fluttered open as he rolled on his side; the room he slept in was dark and quiet, the silence only interrupted by a wall clock. He could feel the unwelcome dryness in his mouth, on his ecto-tongue to be precise. His mind still felt a little hazy, but he wasn’t sure if it was more likely because he just woke up or because of yesterday night.

Speaking of which, was awesome. He was actually pleasantly surprised that he didn’t have any nightmares this time and he rested quite well. Those were haunting him way more often when Papyrus wasn’t around.

Sans rubbed his eyes and stretched his spine. He really wanted to stay under the warm blanket and go back to sleep, but he was too thirsty. He noticed some movement on the other side of the room; right, Undyne let him sleep in her room! How nice of her to not only let Sans stay at her place but also let him sleep in her bedroom. Maybe the presence of his friend helped him avoid bad dreams? At least he thought so, it seemed rational.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, he got out of the improvised bed and went to the modest kitchen downstairs to get a drink. He decided to get one for Undyne as well – she’s probably going to be as thirsty as him, if not more.

He instantly gulped at water, filling one glass after another. Exhaling with satisfaction, he picked another one and went back to the bedroom where Undyne was slowly waking up.

As soon as he saw her awaken, he came closer and crouched so their eyes were on the same level, leaving the drink on a small table near her bed. When their eyes meet, smiles crept on their faces.

“Morning, Blue” she whispered a little hoarsely. “How was your sleep?”

Sans put his arms on the bed and let his head rest on them, tilting his skull a little. “It was great, I feel pretty good today. You?” he spoke, keeping his voice moderately quiet.

“It was nice for sure, but I can’t say I feel good now” Sans looked at her questionably. “Hangover, you know”

Sans made a small ‘oh’, went still for a moment and then pick the glass of water. “Here, drink. You sound like you need it”

Undyne picked the glass and thanked him, hurriedly drinking half of it and putting it back. She felt so dehydrated it even hurt to blink, like there was sand in her eyes. A quick shower seemed now nicer than everything else.

“No problem. Also I really appreciate that you let me sleep at your place! It was a nice change, wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime” he grinned, barely noticeable blush painted his face.

She nodded, liking this idea as well. “It was my pleasure, Sans. Did you have a good time yesterday? You seemed like you did”

“Oh yes, it was so much fun! Can you borrow me that movie we watched? I’d love to watch it with Papyrus, he’d like it too”

“Sure, I don’t see why not” she yawned as she sat on her bed, picked the glass and drank the remaining liquid. “Are you hungry? Because I’m starving!”

Now that she mentioned that, he felt how hungry he was. Maybe starving wasn’t the right word, but he wouldn’t mind a tasty breakfast right now. “Yeah, quite a bit actually. I can make something if you want!”

“I do want in fact; I need to take a shower first so you can start without me” she got off the bed. “I will help you later, okay?”

Sans nodded eagerly, standing up as well and began walking to the kitchen in bouncy steps. He felt so much better now, the sorrow from yesterday was now just an unpleasant memory he didn’t want to think about. The skeleton began humming his favorite Napstablook’s song happily as he entered the room, heading to the fridge.

As he expected, Undyne wasn’t really keen on healthy diet. Sadly, she didn’t have many fresh vegetables; most of the space was occupied by fast foods.  But it was okay! He wouldn’t mind another high-calorie meal… as long as it was handmade.

He noticed Undyne had some ready pizza dough, fortunately still not out of date. It wasn’t much, but would be enough for some small pizza rolls. He took out some cheese, remaining pieces of ham and ketchup as well, placing them on the table and putting the kettle on for some good, old tea.

When Sans was putting the ready to be cooked pizza rolls in the oven, Undyne joined him.

“Ohoh… what are you making here, Sans?”

“Some tasty pizza rolls! I know you like them” she purred approvingly in response, her mouth watering at the thought of eating one.

“Can’t disagree” Sans giggled and prepared the tea, but Undyne looked uncertainly at him. “Wait... are you making tea with pizza?”

“Yeah! Tea is great with everything!” she sighed, but he seemed so happy she didn’t have the heart to say anything. “Sure it is, Sans… when will it be ready?”

“The pizza rolls? In 15 minutes!” she looked at him pleadingly, whining quietly. “Yes, I know, I’m hungry too! But the taste is worth the wait”

They prepared the table together, cleaning the yesterday mess and placing a plate for each other. They both waited in anticipation, chatting and enjoying the smell coming from the oven.

As soon as the breakfast was ready, they began to eat eagerly.

“Gosh Sans, you’re so much better at cooking now!” she took another bite. “How is it possible you improved so much?”

“Oh, you see” He started. “Since… Papyrus began meeting with Red, I had more time for myself. A lot more, to be honest… so I decided to cook more! At first I almost burn our house a few times, but I assumed extreme cooking is not always the best way to make a meal” he laughed sheepishly. “And let me tell about that one time I tried to cook spaghetti, it’s truly a ridiculous story!”

“Huh” Undyne acknowledged, but she wasn’t really listening. She almost forgot why she wanted Sans to stay tonight. She was responsible for introducing Sans to hers and Alphys idea! If Sans didn’t mention Papyrus she most probably would have forgotten and Alphys would kill her. She felt nervous instantly, but the excitement was even stronger. She wasn’t sure if Sans would approve their plan for him, but she hoped the small skeleton will understand. Undyne didn’t want to push him into anything like Alphys wanted to, so they both agreed it would be better if she announced the idea to him.

“S-sans” she interrupted him and he went quiet, looking at her expectantly. “There’s s-something… I need to discuss with you”

Blue titled his head to the side, a little taken aback. It seemed serious; Undyne began to stutter again… but it could be just her overreacting once more. The relaxed atmosphere changed a bit but he remained cool, smiling reassuringly at her. “Yes? What is it?”

Undyne exhaled loudly, keeping her eyes on her plate. She was probably making it look way bigger than the deal actually was, but she couldn’t help it. Anxiously rubbing her fingers together, she whispered.

“It’s about Stretch”

She glanced at him and he gave her a surprised look, but he quickly regained his composure.

“…Oh” he cleared his throat awkwardly, already not liking where it was going. “What about my brother?”

Undyne regretted now not thinking about how to explain that to Sans and she wasn’t quite sure where to start. They remained in silence; he waited calmly for her to continue, resting his arms on the table with his hands clasped in front of him. He had to admit he was curious what was it all about, but he decided to let Undyne take her time.

“I…” she stuttered. “I can’t h-help but notice h-how much… you m-miss Papyrus. It’s h-hard to watch you t-try to deal with it a-alone” Sans opened his mouth to say something, but Undyne quickly added “y-yes! I know what you said. You can deal with it alone. I’m n-not trying to undermine the argument, but let me… let u-us, me and Alphys help you”

Sans thought for a moment, considering her words. It wasn’t the first time his friends tried to get involved, to change something. He knew both of them wanted only the best for him, but so did Sans when it came to Papyrus. And if Papyrus was happy with how the things are, he won’t interfere. “I’m happy to hear you both are so willing to help me, but my approval depends on how you want to help me” he took his tea and sipped on it, relaxing a little in his seat. “As long as it doesn’t involve upsetting Papy, I would like… some help”

“It does not” she quickly reassured and Sans nodded. “You see, I was t-thinking. A lot, about Stretch, you, R-red… universes” Sans listened, intrigued, his blue eyes were shining brightly. ”And I thought t-that… umm, if Stretch c-can meet with Sans from a-another universe… why can’t you?” she inhaled and went quiet for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. “Y-you see, I know Stretch doesn’t want you to meet Red’s brother… he’s pretty clear about that. L-like, I’m not surprised a-about that – he could be a threat t-towards you, towards everyone. So I thought… t-that maybe, a Papyrus f-from a different universe?”

Sans stared at her, agape, wrapping his head around what Undyne was trying to tell him. He wasn’t sure if he was more shocked or amazed by the idea; the thought of getting to know with alternative Papyrus… it fascinated him. Was it even possible? From what he knew, the only universe they found out about was Reds and as long as Stretch was alive, he wouldn’t allow Blue to go there, not on his watch. ‘Underfell’, as they decided to call that world, was dangerous. But what if… his brother didn’t know?

“Wowzers… it sounds… just, oh my god! But how?! We only know Underfell!” he yelled, adrenaline rushing through him.

“You know o-only Underfell” she corrected him, a small smirk formed on her face. “And so does Stretch. But I’m the one who owns the lab and does the science. And looking for different universes… seemed interesting”

Sans beamed, vividly getting up from his seat and leaning on the table. “No way! You can’t be possibly… are you serious?! You found another one?!”

“I did, in fact; oh, and I did it some time ago” she got up as well. “Come, follow me”

Sans got to her side instantly, running around her as he couldn’t hold still. “You are awesome! How did you even manage to do that? It sounds unreal! What is the new universe like?! Is it similar to ours?! Do you know the other Papyrus and Sans? Is my alternative like me?! Dear Toriel please, Undyne, tell me!”

She giggled gleefully, his optimism infecting her too. “Calm down Blue, I will tell you soon. Let’s go to my lab” Sans grabbed her hand and rushed to the big room, she yelped as he dragged her with him.

The whole room looked like it was rarely used, there was dust everywhere, many unused technologies lied here, some of them old enough to remember the days of war with humans. No longer needed, these were left here to corrode. Some of the machines were hidden under covers, possibly still working but useless underground. The lab had also many, many white cabinets, some of them locked and forgotten. This room was the old lab, every unused or bad project ended up here. Stretch used to like working here when he was still into science, he called this place his own private ‘trashlab’, even though it wasn’t. Usually, Undyne worked in the newer part of her lab but since her primary supercomputer had problems working, for less important stuff she used the one in the old lab.

They stopped in front of her computer, an ancient and past its best days machine turned on slowly, creating a loud, buzzing noise. She picked up nearest box, wiped off the dust, placed it in front of the computer and took a seat.

“So just to make sure you know” she coughed, getting his full attention. “Stretch cannot know about this, okay? He would k-kill me. I’m literally risking my life here. Your brother let me understand quite well what will happen if something happens to you and it won’t be pleasant, so I beg you – do not let him find out!” she pleaded, her voice nearly panic-stricken.

He nodded quickly, hugging her tightly. “I understand, Undyne. I promise I won’t tell anything to Papyrus, you have my word! Now, show me that universe please!”

“Thank you, Sans. Now, look” she pointed at the computer screen, multiple messages visible everywhere. “For quite a long time now, I stay in touch with Undyne from that universe. At first, I was a little scared of her… but turned out we’re quite similar!” she opened one of the old conversations. Sans blinked a few times, dumbfounded by the amount of text they were sending to each other. No doubt they were similar, no one can write as much and as quickly as her.

“And we’re in good terms now. I didn’t tell her about my plan yet, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to take part in it. After all, this Papyrus might… not be someone you would like”

“What do you mean?”

“You see, I asked about him the alternative me and she said… that compared to Papyrus from our universe, he was different in many aspects. They were indeed identical when it came to some parts of their personalities, yes, but surely each of them was special in their own way.”

“Well, I don’t understand why that would be a problem” he noted; he was sure he would get along with every Papyrus! He was certain that deep down, they were all the same.

“Um, I guess… it’s just that… she told me some things that made me think over his… mental state” Sans frowned, he couldn’t really deny or agree with her as he didn’t know that Papyrus, but that sounded rather insulting.

“But… let’s just not think about that, okay? As far as I know, he treats his brother well. Very well, even” she started typing something. “And I doubt he would like to hurt you… I mean, he doesn’t have a reason, right? You’re pretty much his brother… maybe not exactly like him, but in some ways you kind of resemble him… it’s a little complicated, but you will understand once you get to know him” she send the message. “If it works, of course”

“What did you do?” he asked as he sat on an empty box near her.

“I asked the other Undyne what she thinks about our plan and if it’s possible. I already told her about… your situation” Sans looked at her skeptically.

“Yes, I know, you asked me to be quiet about this. But honestly Sans, you think no one knows?” he nodded, looking at her like it was obvious. “No… not really, everyone in Underground know. You have changed”

“Oh…” he looked away, crestfallen and a bit surprised. He thought he was quite good at acting like everything was alright, but it seems like he was wrong. But then again, being wrong wasn’t something new to him lately. He didn’t really have time to dwell on that as a loud message sound coming from the computer distracted him.

“Oh, look!” Undyne beamed. “She answered!”

They both looked at the screen and the loading message appeared.

_Oh man it sounds fucking amazing! :D this is really a good idea, pretty risky but oh man I am up for this. I would love to meet that cute version of my asshole Sans, he sounds like the most adorable thing in this god-forsaken place. Like srsly, let me have him for a one day! I promise, no experiments, just cuddling all day! <3 ask him about that, will you?  
Fuck, Idk where I left my phone, but I’ll call Paps right away. I’m soooo curious what he will think! :D Sometimes it’s so fucking hard to guess what’s in his head, but imo he will agree_

“Sweet Toriel watch your language!” Sans flinched at those vulgar words. How crudely of her!

Undyne snickered instead, Sans was so silly sometimes. From what she knew, that Papyrus vocabulary was even worse. “Oh Sans, I’m sorry to tell you but in this universe, it’s something normal”

“But it’s so rude! How come people accept this?”

“Well… in some aspects, that world is similar to Underfell”

“Hm… does that mean that this Papyrus will be somehow similar to his Underfell alternative?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m not saying no” she began writing again. ”Stretch told me a little about him; Edge as he prefers to call that Papyrus is a total prick, not really trustworthy and I’m sure that the one from this world is way better… kind of” she sighed. “I can’t really answer that, you know? I don’t know them personally”

“I know, Undyne. I’m just really excited! There are so many things I want to ask him about! I really hope he will agree…” the thought of rejection haunted him, scared him. It was a great solution for his problem – Stretch would live happily like Sans wanted him to. He would be able to meet with Red and spend some time with Blue as well, while Sans wouldn’t have to worry and cry over Papyrus so often. He would have someone else to spend time with, too! He wouldn’t have to bother his friends with the overwhelming sadness attacking him from every side anymore; a new monster would come to his life and to him, it sounded like a good change.

Another message came from the other Undyne and they both looked at the screen with anticipation.

_Sry for the delay, I keep losing my stupid phone. So, I called him and guess what? He agreed! :D_   
_Haha you have no idea how surprised he was when I told him what I want, this was probably the first time I heard him so shocked lol; so good for us bb, when to do want to come together? And where? Honestly I wouldn’t recommend letting Blue come here alone, those fuckers in Snowdin would kill him. If they were in a good mood, of course._   
_So? Let me know asap and I will ask Paps if he’s ok with that :)_

“Oh my god!” Sans shrieked, unintentionally scaring Undyne. „He agreed, Undyne! Holy cow, he actually did! Do you understand what it means?!”

“Well, y-yeah?”

He jumped on her lap, the leap was so powerful he made her lose balance and they both fell on the floor. “He agreed! He wants to meet me!” she felt almost like Sans was crushing her ribs with his small arms, his grip was keeping her still. “I won’t be alone anymore!”

“I-I know Sans. Please, l-let me go, it h-hurts” as soon as he noticed how tightly he was squeezing Undyne, he released her sore body. “…sorry”

“I-it’s okay, I know you’re happy” She smiled, gently petting his skull. “So… when do you want to meet him?”

“Today, of course! Alphys gave a day off, so I should put it to a good use!” he yelled cheerfully, leaning into her hand. He wasn’t this happy in months!

“Alright, let me ask the other Undyne if it’s possible” Sans got off her and she sat back in front of computer. “I hope he will find some time for you” he stood up next to her, attentively watching the screen.

 “Could you get me a glass of water, Sans? I’m starting to feel really weak and a little of water always helps”

“Naturally! Give me a second” he went to the kitchen while Undyne wrote to her alternative. It didn’t take long for the monster from the other world to answer and soon Sans came back with glass of fresh, cold water.

“I have some good news for you, Sans”

He almost dropped the glass as he read the message.

“Oh gosh! He will come here in 2 hours?!” she nodded enthusiastically, feeling as excited as Sans. “That’s so fast! I-uh, do I look cool enough?! Should I change my clothes?!”

She laughed heartily, a bright blush painted Sans’ cheeks. “You look great as always, no need to worry” Sans whined, not fully convinced. “Really, Sans! I-I think you look good in t-those clothes”

He took a few deep breaths to calm down, but his soul was pounding furiously. It was all happening so quickly! He wasn’t even sure how to greet the new monster, nor where to take him for their first meeting. He didn’t want to disappoint the new Papyrus!

She placed her hands on his shoulders and rubbed them comfortingly. “You need to relax, Sans. He’s similar to your brother, remember?” Sans nodded hesitantly. “ Exactly! And I know that he’s very a patient, calm and collected monster, so just calm down, you will do fine, I’m sure!”

“If… if you say so” he was The Magnificent Sans, he can do it! Or at least he hoped so. “Ahh, Undyne! I’m so grateful! No matter how it will end, remember that I am thankful for this. You and Alphys are invaluable to me”

She blushed and gently stroked his head again. “And so are you to us. This universe wouldn’t be the same without you, so please, never forget how priceless you are to everybody”

Sans giggled gleefully, he forgot how it felt to be truly happy. His soul nearly hurt from the huge amount of those feelings, he felt so great nothing seemed impossible to him at that moment. He almost felt like he came back to life again, like he just left the weird state of mind he was who knows how long in.

For the first time in months, something in his life was more important to him than the problematic case with Stretch.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so ya'll made me so hyped with the 'I wanna read more' I decided to waste my only free day to write the next chapter lol;  
> I hope it turned out fine, it was quite fun! And exhausting for my brain... 
> 
> Also we hit 100 kudos, wow... 100 people enjoyed my story. It really makes it worth the effort, you know?
> 
> Anyways, enjoy :)

_Is this really happening?_

This question kept coming back to Sans as he walked back home, kicking the snow playfully. He still felt extremely hyper from the wonderful news, every time he acknowledged what was about to happen, he felt like he was blessed. But saying he was only happy wouldn’t be exactly true.

Sans now started regretting his decision about meeting with this new Papyrus today, he hadn’t really thought this through. It’s not like he didn’t want to get to know the new monster as fast as possible – no, quite the opposite. But he had to keep in mind that there was Stretch. His lovely brother, as sad as it sounded, will now have to be lied to. It’s not the first time of course, but mostly it was for Papyrus own good. This time it wasn’t and his conscience wasn’t the only problem. After all, his brother could teleport – which basically meant he could come back home any time he want, for whatever reason or none at all.

Sans decided to invite his guest today and he felt quite reassured by the note Stretch left. He noted that Sans will be left alone for some time… but it wasn’t like he could be actually sure how much time he had; ending up with two Papyruses the first day they met sounded like a total disaster and a wasted chance. He could imagine the anger and hurt from betrayal coming from his sibling.

But the die is cast. He just had to hope it won’t happen.

When he finally got home, he decided to change clothes to his favorite outfit as those were the clothes which he felt the most comfortable in. When he looked in the mirror, he could see the remains of the yesterday party. Part of him felt annoyed at Undyne for not telling him he was dirty, but he just let that pass. Sans scrubbed his face clean and brushed teeth thoroughly, humming subconsciously his own melody. He checked himself all over for any imperfections as someone as great and magnificent as him could have none, but he couldn’t find any. Then he smiled widely at his reflection, truly enjoying the happiness within him.

“You got this, ya handsome devil!” he said smugly and giggled, feeling silly for his own behavior. But he couldn’t help it, it just feel so good to be able to not think about Stretch for once. It used to be really exhausting and frustrating. He tried his best to keep the bad emotions at bay, but sometimes he felt like a time bomb. With every day, the frustration and the hidden anger grew stronger, as well as the feeling of helplessness. How much a single soul can withstand for another monster comfort and happiness? How long before it breaks? Not long, he thought. But then again, it wasn’t like his brother did something wrong. He enjoyed his life like he should. There was just something wrong with Sans and his sick needs and desires. He should feel immoral because of this and he felt indeed, but on the other hand, he couldn’t control his feelings. It wasn’t like he loved his sibling the wrong way on purpose. It just… happened. And it was destroying him from the inside.

That’s why he felt so unusually happy about the new monster. But he hadn’t forgotten what Undyne told him about the other universe. The fact that it was somehow similar to the Underfell worried him a bit, especially when he recalls his chats with Papyrus about the other world. The face his brother made every time Sans brought this topic, like he just asked something he shouldn’t. But was it wrong to be curious about the universe his brother spends so much time in? Sans knew Stretch could protect himself well, but it was reasonable he was concerned. It was a world of twisted souls and heartless murders, of monsters ready to jump to your throat just in case you won’t do it first. The thought alone gave him goosebumps.

Sans went to the living room to check the time.

“Oh wow, only half of an hour left!” he knew getting back home and taking care of himself would take some time, but he was expecting to have a bit more time. And getting lost in thoughts surely didn’t help either.

It was the moment he finally realized… he doesn’t even know where to meet with the monster. Not where to go, but where to wait for him in the first place. They established the hour, but not the place. He started to feel nervous all over again, but he tried to stay calm. He couldn’t just panic, it wasn’t his style! He just needed to figure out a way to get in touch with the unfamiliar Papyrus.

“Ah! Right, Undyne!” he quickly grabbed his phone and searched for her number. Since Undyne is in good terms with her alternative, it shouldn’t be a problem to get the other Papyrus phone number.

It didn’t take her long to answer. “Hello? Sans? Is he t-there??” he could hear the excitement in her voice and it instantly infected him, but he stayed cool.

“N-no, not yet. But there is a problem” he cleared his throat. “You see, I don’t really know where to meet up with this guy… and I don’t have any way to contact him, if you know what I mean”

“Ohh… yeah, I d-do. Just- just give a moment okay?” rustling could be heard through the phone. ”I will try to get his phone number, okay? Then I will send it to you in a message”

“Yes, that would be great! Thanks, Undyne!”

“N-no problem! I have to hang up, bye!” the call ended before he even got to bid farewell, but the faster he got the number the better.

Sans sat on the couch, pulled his knees close to his chest and he rested his head on them as he wrapped his arms around his legs. He waited in silence, trying to imagine the mysterious monster. Is he going to look exactly like Papy? Is he going to have his smile? His voice? So far he only met his own alternative and Red, as his brother calls him, wasn’t even close to resemble Sans. Yes, they appeared to be the same height and have similar bone structure, but their personalities seemed totally different. It was unmistakably another monster, not a copy of himself. But, according to what Undyne said, this Papyrus is going to be like his universe and Underfell melted together, so he has to have some traits of Papy.

The screen of his phone turned on and the fish monster name appeared. He quickly picked it and checked the new message. As expected, an unfamiliar phone number popped up with ‘no need to thank me ;)’ under it. He squealed internally, his eyes shone brightly. He didn’t even know what to do; his mind was just a storm of thoughts. Should he just call? Maybe he’s still busy? A message sounded more appropriate… and less thrilling, he thought. He opened new message window and started typing the number.

 

And then the doorbell rang.

 

Sans jumped in his seat and dropped his phone, then glanced at the call clock. 11 minutes earlier than he expected. Well, he should have expected that the monster might come earlier, but he didn’t give it much thought. His soul pounded hard and he gulped, grinding his teeth anxiously. He didn’t feel like he was ready for this.

But then again, it was the best thing that happened to him in months.

He tried to stick to this thought as he got up and took wobbly steps toward the door. The excitement overwhelmed him, but he could feel the sincere joy coming from his furiously beating soul. It helped him deal with the nervousness, the timidity. He couldn’t recall ever being this panicky about anyone new ever. But it was a big day for him, after all.

Sans unlocked the door and clenched his first on the handle, trying to give himself just a little more time to calm his mind. Here we go again, _now or never…_

The moment he opened the door, he was enveloped by a shadow. The first thing he saw were maroon jeans on the level of is eyes, torn in some places with a black leather belt keeping them in place. He shyly looked higher and was met with an orange turtleneck covering the chest, yet the arms were hidden in a dark grey fluffy jacket, hands were buried in the pockets. Then he saw the monster’s face and he almost felt his soul stopped.

It was a face of a monster, _a real monster_. He wasn’t expecting to see his brother’s face, but neither was he expecting the view in front of him. The shape of his skull told away he was Papyrus’ alternative, but there was no warm smile. His teeth were sharp, even sharper than Reds, almost if someone made them look like this on purpose.  One of them was missing, but it was replaced with a shiny gold fang. It was connected with his right eye through a nasty crack and Sans’ skull hurt just from looking at it. The monster vertical-slit eye lights looked right back at him, watching him, studying him. He felt suddenly vulnerable under that cold gaze and subconsciously he took a step back, feeling like he should hide immediately. His own smile disappeared and he barely was able to stare right back. He was brave, but never in his life had he seen a similar monster. Even Red seemed like a nice guy next to this…  Papyrus.  It felt like that name doesn’t match the person standing here at all.

They stood, in silence, watching each other. Sans, even if wanted, couldn’t move. The sudden fear made him freeze. The taller skeleton’s corners of the mouth slowly moved, forming what Sans guessed was a ‘smile’. It only made Blue even more terrified of him as he took another step back.

“Hello” he said, his voice deeper than Papy’s. He took a small step closer and Sans was ready to run, his whole body tense. The tall skeleton slowly crouched down, his smile getting even wider. He placed one of his elbows on his knee, the other moved towards the other skeleton. Sans’ mouth formed into a voiceless scream, but he still couldn’t move. He didn’t even know it was possible to be this frightened of another monster; it was his instinct telling him, yelling at him _‘DANGER’_.

The hand stopped right before him and the gears started turning in Sans’ head. A handshake. He just wanted a handshake. The fear made it hard to think logically as his mind was stuck at the ‘need to run’ part. But the other waited calmly, not really showing any signs of hostility. He still stared at the small skeleton, slightly amused by the terror in his eyes.

Sans finally garnered enough courage and decided to offer his hand, trying his best not to shake. His hand seemed really small compared to the Papyrus’ one, but he didn’t move away when the other grabbed his hand and embraced it gently. He moved it up and down in a shaking motion, smiling and this time closing his eyes. Sans managed to put a small smile on his face and hurryingly answered.

“H-hello” he laughed nervously, less scared but still alert. “You… y-you are that P-papyrus, yes?”

The other let go of his hand and Sans quickly took it away. He didn’t stand up though; he kept crouching and staying at Sans’ level of view. He wasn’t smiling like before, but his expression showed he was relaxed.

“Yep. And I assume you are the Sans I was supposed to meet, hmm?” the small skeleton nodded, still not trusting his voice. “Nice to meet you, buddy. Call me Slim, ‘kay?” he nodded again, slowly calming. “How can I address you? Do you have any nickname? Or Sans is good?”

“I, uh… some of m-my friends call me Blue, or… Blueberry” Slim chuckled, and Sans felt a familiar warmness in his soul. It reminded him of Papy.

“It fits you, ya know?” Sans stayed quiet, unable to find a proper answer. “Anyways. I have 3 hours, more or less. Not much, but enough to get to know each other I suppose” he stood up. “Any place you wanna go?”

The problem was, Sans didn’t know where he wanted to go anymore. Every idea he had disappeared, crushed by the fear. Oh, he would give everything just to hide in Papy’s hoodie, face buried in the material as his brother reassures him. He felt like he needed that more than ever in his life.

 _‘Your brother is with someone else’_ voice in his head corrected him; his need for comfort slowly dying. Right – that was the point of the meeting. To not let those dark thoughts destroy his mind. Look for someone else. Befriend them.

Be… happy.

“I… I was thinking” Sans started, keeping his eyes locked on his boots. “Do you… Would you like to go to Muffets?” he shyly glanced at the other skeleton who cocked his head slightly in thought, unsure.

“What do they serve?”

“M-mostly baked goods, pies, cakes, muffins… and stuff to drink l-like cocktails, milkshakes”

Slim smiled. “Sounds good to me. Lead the way… Blue” Sans returned the smile, the fear was still present, but the monster didn’t appear as bad and evil as he seemed. At least not towards him. He nodded and gestured the taller skeleton to follow

It reminded Sans of what Undyne told him – _‘he treats his brother well. Very well, even’_. Slim didn’t look like some who never attended a fight, quite the opposite. More like someone who is skilled in the art of combat. Sans could see that while they were walking through the snowy road, even when he seemed calm, he observed the other monsters warily. Which he couldn’t quite understand – the fellow monsters rather seemed to avoid him with clear fright than actually challenge, but he decided not to comment that. The silence made him feel anxious, though.

“It’s… not so far from here” Slim looked at him, listening. “It’s a very nice place, you know? Full of friendly monsters and tasty… although not always healthy, food”

“If you like it, I am certain I will enjoy it too” he said smoothly, smirking.

Sans actually went quiet for a short moment, dumbfounded. It sounded exactly like a thing Papyrus would say. Damn, he was sure he heard this at least one time in his life. Undyne was right after all, there was some of his Papyrus in this monster. It made him wonder in what aspects he resembled a monster from Underfell. Aside from his appearance, of course.

“Oh! See that building in the distance?” he pointed with his finger at a small house with visible webs representing all kinds of baked goods. “It’s the Muffets bakery! Papyr-… my brother, loves to go there.”

“Is he there now?”

“No!” he said way louder than he meant, the thought alone made him feel uneasy. He cleared his throat “No, he’s… busy” Slim just made an ‘uh-huh’ sound and followed him close, enjoying the simple but pretty web art.

Near the building they could already hear the laughs of the citizens of Snowdin putting their free time to good use and their nostrils hit the special smell of yeast dough. Slim really seemed to enjoy it as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

When Sans opened the door and they both walked in, the laugher slowly decreased. The loud conversations changed to quiet whispers and everyone locked their eyes on the monster behind the small skeleton. He could see how everyone tensed up, obviously scared or surprised by the new visitor. Sans himself turned his head to check is his new soon-to-be friend is okay and he was met with a genuine smile.

Just like he didn’t notice the whole bar was ready to jump out through the window if he sneezes.

“Oh Sans!” Muffet called him; she seemed undisturbed by Slim, but her eyes darted between them both. “Please, come here. I dearly missed your presence, sweetheart! What can I get for you… and your companion?”

“I am really thirsty, so I’d like to order one cold strawberry milkshake. With honey, of course” he gestured Slim to come closer. “Here, pick what you want from the menu” Sans handed him the piece of paper.

“So, Blue… how are you? We haven’t talked for quite a long time, don’t you think?” Muffet asked sweetly while preparing the drink.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry it took me so long to finally visit you… but it had been a rough time for me” she watched him curiously. “All the training I’m going through can really tire out a monster, especially when you have to fight for the position in Royal Guard” he sighed. “But I’m improving! Really! Not only that; Undyne told me I’m getting better at cooking too! So even if it’s hard, it’s for the best. You’ve got to give to get, right?”

“Sometimes, I suppose.” She placed ready milkshake in front of Blue. “Enjoy! What about you?” she turned her head to the other skeleton. “Have you decided what you want, dear?”

“Yep, gimme that meringue cake with raspeberries and caramel. Sounds super tasty”

“Of course!” She smiled warmly. “Anything to drink?”

“Water will be enough” he placed the paper on the counter and she nodded.

“Go and have a seat, sweethearts. I will bring you the dessert once I’m finished!”

“Okay, Muf! Thanks” Sans answered and rushed to the table in the corner of room, fairly away from other visitors. Slim following him soundlessly.

Some monsters left the building, the others focused on themselves, but most kept an eye on the tall and new skeleton. Everyone came back to whatever they were doing, but no one dare to laugh as loud as before. Blue once again started regretting making fast choices. Even if this was a city of friendly citizens, gossip wasn’t out of ordinary. Especially when they recognized each other and instantly knew that monster is not one of them. Sans knew Stretch no longer stayed in touch with many monsters in Snowdin, but the rumor might get even to him and his brother will start suspecting that something is wrong. And what about Muffet? From what he knew, they’re good friends. They don’t meet up as often as they used to, but he’s quite certain she will let him know.

“-ey, you there?” he jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. Slim looked at him a bit surprised and moved his hand away.

“Y-yeah! Sorry, got lost in thoughts” he smiled sheepishly. After spending so much time alone, it was easy for him to lose contact with reality. It was very impolite, though. “Were you saying something?”

“Well yeah. It’s a nice place like you said” he leaned back, watching the talking monsters. “I have a similar one in my world. But it doesn’t feel this safe” Blue furrowed his brows. “Well, it’s established we don’t fight in such places. A place to rest, for everyone, but there is still tension. No one starts a fight unless they’re helplessly drunk. And if they do, they aren’t allowed to visit anymore”

“That’s just harsh” Sans noted. It was rare, but monsters fought here too. But no one was punished for it, yet.

“It is, but believe me, it’s better for everyone this way. Monsters aren’t that nice where I live, ya know?”

Muffet approached them with a glass of water and perfectly-looking piece of cake, her hips swinging to the rhythm of background music.

“Sorry for the delay! I had to deal with something. Enjoy, my dear!” she placed the order and went back to the waiting clients.

“Damn, I don’t think I have ever seen such a nice looking cake” he chuckled quietly to himself, spinning the plate around to admire the piece of work from every side.

“Muffet is really skilled when it comes to baking, she does it with passion! I usually avoid unhealthy food, but sometimes I can’t say no. Like her hands create art, not normal food. It’s almost insulting to not try what she bakes”

“With so many hands, it can’t be that hard” Sans giggled at that and came back to drinking his own milkshake.

Once Slim tried the cake, it was a matter of seconds till the plate was empty. He ate like he never had food in his life, and Sans watched him almost stunned. And here he thought Alphys was the one that would win eating contest.

He picked his glass of water, finished it quickly and exhaled loudly, visibly pleased with himself. It was then he noticed Blue staring at him, speechless, his eyebrows raised. A small flush crept on his face and he laughed awkwardly.

“Heheh, sorry buddy, I really like to eat. And this was… far beyond good” he licked his fang. “Best shit I had in my life. But I bet watching me eat like that wasn’t as good as eating it”

“Um, I don’t mind. My brother is a messy eater, but I haven’t seen anyone eat so fast ever” Slim blushed even harder, but laughed again. “But please, don’t swear. I really don’t like it, so at least don’t do it in my presence, okay?”

Slim seemed a bit taken aback, but he nodded slowly. “Yeah, sorry. My bad”

“It’s okay! I just wanted you to know” Sans moved his drink closer to the other skeleton. “Want to end mine? I’m full”

“Oh wow, can I? Ya sure?” a small sparkle of hope made his eyes shine slightly.

“Yes, I usually let my brother end my drinks because it’s always too much for me” Sans grinned, pushing the drink even closer.

“Hell yeah then, thanks” he straightaway took a sip and seemed to melt under the taste; Sans soul warmed at the sight of it. How could he be scared of him? He was a Papyrus! Scary looking, but still sweet inside. “You like it?”

“Dear Toriel, what did she put into this? It’s just delicious” he was so absorbed with getting every last drop he didn’t even notice Muffet walking towards them.

“My, my! I see you both enjoyed the food” Sans nodded while cleaning his face with a handkerchief. “Should I get you anything else?” she asked while picking up the dirty dishes.

He shook his head this time. “No thanks, Muf. We’ll be going soon.”

When she was about to leave, Sans added. “But before you go, I’d like to discuss something with you” his eyes darted to the skeleton next to him, but in a way only she could see.

Muffet went quiet for a short moment, looking directly at Sans. Then she smiled kindly. “Of course, sweetheart. Just come to when you have time. And oh, don’t worry about paying for today. I’m just glad you visited me finally! Have a nice day, dear~” and then she was gone.

Sans checked the time. They still had some time left, not much, but enough to enjoy each other presence.

“Would you like to come to my house? It’s quieter there. We can talk there without getting the looks from other monsters”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me at all, but sure, if you want” he stood up and Sans once again could admire the size of his friend. He was indeed taller than Stretch, not much, but enough for Sans to notice. It was like with Red and Blue – unless they stood close to each other, there wasn’t much height difference. But if they did, Red was shorter.

Sans got up and let the taller skeleton led him to the exit. He waved to the rest of the monsters and they returned the gesture cheerfully.

They walked together this time; Slim no longer glared at the strangers and seemed to be pleased. It made Sans happy – it was going the way he wanted. Maybe the first moments weren’t exactly like he planned… well they were horrible actually, but thankfully he was wrong about the monster.

“So you aren’t in the Royal Guard?” Slim suddenly asked.

“Oh? Um, no... Not yet. But I’m getting close! Alphys is really proud of me” he thought for a moment. “What about you? Do you or your brother want to be the part of them?”

“Well actually, me and my brother joined Royal Guard forces long time ago.” Sans looked at him, surprised. “When there are so many hostile monsters willing to take over the power, the Queen Toriel needs lots of guards”

“Wowzers, that’s… that’s super cool!” he yelled, bouncing in delight. “You and your brother together in the Royal Guard! Just like in my dreams! That is what I always wanted to achieve this with my Papy”

“Is he a part of them here?”

“Uh, no… he never wanted to be.” he sighed and this time Slim looked at him surprised.

“And you just let him?”

“… Pardon me?”

“I asked if you just let him not be a part of Royal Guard” Sans slowed down, trying to comprehend what Slim wanted to ask him about. He didn’t seem like he was joking.

“Of course? It’s his life, he can do with it whatever he wishes… As long as he’s happy, I am too”

Slim stopped, watching him with wide eyes. “What? What is it?” the other shook off the expression swiftly.

“I... I just remembered I forgot to do something back in my universe” he checked the time on his phone. “Would you be angry if I left earlier?”

“N-no, naturally not. I understand!” Sans smiled. “It can happen to all of us. I’d rather like to thank you for coming! I… I feel like I should apologize about my rude introduction, or rather the lack of it… but I hope you will forgive me. No offence, but you look rather… fearsome”

“Heh, you’re not the first one to say that” he crouched and smiled, moving his hand towards Sans in a familiar gesture. “Thanks for the invite, it was an interesting experience”

The small skeleton happily shook his hand, grinning and giggling. He felt so silly for being so terrified earlier. He didn’t even know Papy could look so scary yet still be the same Papyrus inside, but he was glad it was only the look that was so chilling.

“Invite me sometime again” Slim stood up and winked.

Before Sans could say anything, he disappeared with a loud but short-lived hum.


	7. Chapter 7

His footsteps in the snow were the only thing that was left by the uncommon visitor in Snowdin.

‘ _What a day’_ , he thought. It was still hard to believe the fate has smiled upon him, gave him a reason to be happy about. Even if his ideas this day might were imprudent, he was glad everything ended well, maybe a bit abruptly for Sans’ taste but the other skeleton seemed pleased. A smile crept across his face as his soul pounded with familiar wave of happiness, filling him with determination. It felt like a new chapter started in his life and it was duty to make sure he will not waste this chance. He promised to himself that next time, he will try even harder to make their time together worthwhile.

Sans decided to come back home and clean the mess he asked his brother to take care about. He barely could stand the bathroom, let alone the kitchen that haven’t seen a mop for over 2 weeks. But with the renewed energy it wasn’t a problem; some good music and he will do it in no time.

As he was taking care of the house, his mind focused on the case of Muffet. She was a good friend to both of them, Sans and Papyrus, and he could always count on her help. This time though, he didn’t feel like Muff will be on his side. Even if she tried to hide it, he could sense she was more than a little uncomfortable in the presence of Slim. Which was naturally reasonable, someone like the spider monster knows everything about monsters in the city and every new customer awakens curiosity in her, except this time her new client looked like a criminal. Usually, when Sans came there with someone new, she didn’t hesitate to ask dozens of questions about his new friend, yet this time Muff wasn’t even interested in what’s the name of the tall skeleton. He might be just overreacting and seeing things, but after doing this for his whole life, any change was easy to spot.

Cleaning the rooms actually took him longer than he expected as he didn’t notice the hours passing one by one. It was getting late and Sans made up his mind it is the best time to go to Muffets as soon she will be closing his place, so not many monsters will be still there. He took off metal pieces of his armor, leaving the t-shirt, pants and handkerchief on, took his brown jacket, checked out the perfectly clean house for the last time, made sure lights are off and windows are closed before picking up his boots and leaving.

It surely was colder outside; even he could feel the icy breeze chilling his bony cheeks. It wasn’t snowing, but it was a windy evening. He walked quickly, watching the folks hidden in their warm homes through the windows, talking and smiling. Every house, even though they were different and special in their own style, were similar in one, particular way. Inside them, you could not only see the warmness from the wood burning stove, but also the warmth coming from each monster. Monsters happy to be with their family, enjoying their time with the loved ones. The view made Sans so delighted and so sad at the same time. It brought back the memories of the times when something like another universe sounded like a story from fantasy book, of the times when he thought that as brothers, they are inseparable. If someone back then told him that this is how his future will look like, he probably would have thought they’re insane. It’s almost funny for Sans how miserable he has become. All he can do now is just laugh at himself, at his foolishness. His own brother prefers the company of some random version of Sans, rather than the person that was always there for him. And Blue can’t help but still love him in all ways possible. He is such an imbecile he deserves what he has to endure and even worse.

“-oof!”

His skull bumped into something fluffy. He gasped and jerked his head up, noticing the surprised rabbit monster. He was so lost in whatever he was thinking about he didn’t notice there was someone standing in his way, turned away from him.

“O-oh! Lady Clarine, I’m so sorry!” Sans apologized as he took a step back. He hit her pretty hard, his own skull and neck hurt from the force. Sans let himself get carried away with the dark thoughts once again… and it never ends well for anymore. “Please, forgive me for hurting you! I didn’t mean to…”

“Aww it’s okay, Sans, shush, I’m okay” she petted his sore head with her soft paw. “I’m rather surprised than in pain. What’s the rush?”

“I’m glad to hear that! And well, I was… heading to Muffets” she cocked her head.

“Isn’t it a bit late, sweetie? And I don’t know if you have noticed, but you must’ve walked past the bakery.”

It was then he recognized the surroundings. It was the end of the town! When did he even get here?

“By the look on your face, I suppose you haven’t” she chuckled. “I won’t stop you any longer. But watch the path or you might bump into someone again.”

“Y-yes, of course, lady Clarine. I will be on my way then! Sorry and goodnight!” he waved to the monster as he rushed to the shop.

As he approached the building, he noted the lights were still on but no monster was inside. Sans brushed the snow off his boots and slowly moved the door handle. The door opened and he peeked inside.

“Hello? Muff?” he walked inside and closed the entrance. The music was still playing silently; it was almost weird to hear the melody without monsters laughing their lungs out. He walked to the counter and sat on the tall chair. It was then he noticed a small spider watching his moves from the cupboard on the wall in front of him. It quickly ran away, out of the view.

Not so long later, Muffet walked into the room.

“Well now, who do we have here? Back so soon, Blue?” she smiled as she walked closer.

“Hi. Yeah, I am deeply sorry to bother you at such late hour, but I think we have to talk about something… someone.”

“I always have time for my dear friends, honey” she sat in front of him. “By someone, you mean that new ‘friend’ of yours?”

“Exactly. And I felt like I shouldn’t wait with this” he placed his hands on his knees and squeezed them, feeling more than nervous. “First of all, I have to ask you not to tell that to Papy”

She seemed serious immediately, her slim hands clasped in front of her. “You want to tell me Papyrus doesn’t know about this?”

He took a shaky breath. “No, he doesn’t. And I want it to stay that way. You know how he would react…”

Muffet raised her eyebrows. “To you making friends with dangerous looking, strange monsters? I suppose I know” Blue sighed.

“It’s not like this, Muff. He’s not dangerous! He looks… maybe a bit extraordinary… but he is a good guy! And his name is Slim.”

“Look, Sans” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your brother and I only want to make sure you are safe. We don’t mind you making friends, no. It’s great to see you getting along with everyone! But not everyone is worth befriending, not everyone has clear intentions when they’re nice. And I don’t think that Slim belongs to trustworthy people. Papyrus should know”

“You… no, you’re wrong! I’m not a child anymore. I know there are bad people in this world! I’m not stupid. And-“

“Sans, for how long have you known him?” he opened his mouth to talk, but closed it soon after, realizing that the truth would only help her prove her point. Before he had a chance to come up with an excuse, she spoke.

“Just one day, aren’t I right?” she stopped shortly, letting go of his shoulder and resting her head on the hand. “No one, literally no one had seen him before. How can you be so sure he is a good person? I’m not saying that judging others by their clothes is something respectful, but people do represent themselves by their outfits.”

“Muffet, look, I know that. Honestly, I was scared of him at first, I thought he is a bad person and all, but… he’s just not. And I understand that judging someone after one day might sound ridiculous, but you don’t know if he’s bad either!” his voice raised as the emotions fueled his speech. “I decided to give him a chance! Everyone deserves a chance! And even if there’s something bad, wrong in him, I will help him! I never turn my back to someone in need! All I want from you to just give him a chance like I did…” he leaned down, arching his back forward and looking away. “… and don’t tell Papy, I beg you. He wouldn’t even listen to me, whatever I say is just being ignored. I realize he wants the best for me, but what he thinks is good or bad for me doesn’t always go well with what I think. Papy is not omniscient and even when he’s laid back most of the time, he doesn’t think clearly when he’s worried about me and makes mistakes. So really, please, keep this between us.”

Muffet observed him, her expression more serious than he had ever seen. She began tapping her finger on the table and squinted her eyes, thinking. He was just glad she didn’t disagree instantly; he hoped that she might approve his plan. He got so carried away he yelled at her, but this whole case with Slim was at risk. It was his own fault, but he wasn’t going to cry over spilled milk. He had to make everything right before worse things happen.

Muffet closed her eyes and took a deep breath, frowning. “Alright, Papyrus will not hear about this from me.”

“R-Really?!” his eye lights changed shape into stars, excitement and joy written all over his face in an instant. “You mean it?!”

“Yes, but under some conditions.” His happiness died as fast as it came alive and Sans didn’t like it already, but it was better than Papyrus finding out his little secret… or, well, one of them.

“W-what… conditions?” he squirmed in his seat, anxious of what she wanted.

“To begin with, if I notice anything suspicious, the first person to know about this will be your brother. Second, you must tell me everything about him. Third, if he ever threatens you or does something against your will, you must let me know instantly. Trust me dear, this is only for your own good.”

Sans clenched his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows; it was a lot and so little at the same time. But it’s not like he could decide here. It was up to her – she could as well contact Papyrus right now, in front of him. It was just her goodwill that she went for not doing that.

“…Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Well, as I said. Everything” she straightened up and rested her hands on her lap. “I know his name is Slim. Who is he? For some reason I thought he looks a lot like your brother. I assumed it was Stretch at first.”

Sans rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the side. “Um… you know Red, right? Papy’s friend?” she nodded. “So, um… just like Red, he is from another universe.”

“How come you met him?” it was a dangerous question. A very, very risky question. He couldn’t reveal the truth about this to her, it would screw Undyne totally. As much as he disliked lying, he knew the spider monster would think very badly of both of them, trying to hide something like that from Stretch. And she probably would change her mind about keeping the secret just to herself.

“Well, em... just like Papy met Red. He found out there are universes and travelled here. Luckily, I met him before anyone else.” Muffet seemed to be okay with that, so he moved on. “As you can see, he didn’t try to kill me. I don’t know much, but… you thought it was Papyrus, because basically, this is Papyrus. But from that world… and um, his universe is kind of comparable to Underfell, there are angry monsters and it’s not safe… and don’t give me that look! If he was bloodthirsty I wouldn’t be here, talking to you! You said so yourself, he looks like Papy. So he must be kinda like my brother! And… come to think of it, I must be like his brother too. But, overall, he is not some killing machine! Slim was very nice to me from the moment I met him and he didn’t try to hurt me. He probably just fights in self-defense.” He lied on the counter, his arms in front of his face. “I know don’t much more. Some irrelevant facts, he likes to eat, joined Royal Guard… and I think that’s all. It was just one day, you said so yourself.”

Muffet brushed his forearm in a comforting gesture; a small smile reappeared on her face. This time she spoke, her voice was back to the sweet tone. “Okay then. I can’t say this satisfies me, but if that’s all you know, I believe there isn’t much more information I can get from you. Don’t think I like the idea of keeping things behind Papyrus’ back, but I can’t help but notice how important this is for you. I still think you should talk this through with your brother, remember that a lie has no legs. This is a small town, he will hear about this eventually. And it would be better for everyone if you told him first, before he figures this out himself.” Muffet got up, walked to the old gramophone and turned it off. “I’d like to ask you to keep me informed. You don’t have to tell me everything, but I want to know how you are doing. Trust me honey, this is only for your safety.”

Muffet didn’t have to tell him that. Sans knew she wanted to protect him, but there was no danger whatsoever. Slim, even though he looked intimidating, wouldn’t hurt him. Sans just knew it, he felt it inside. It was Papyrus and a Papyrus would never try to cause any harm to his brother.

“Yeah…” he got up as well. “I guess you are right. I don’t want to lie to Papy, but I’m not ready to tell him yet. Thank you… I really want to thank you for listening to me. It means a lot, Muff.”

“Any time, sweetheart!” she walked close and embraced Sans in a gentle hug, which he reciprocated with all the power he could muster. He felt so much better knowing that his secret is safe for now.

“Unfortunately, I really have to close my shop now.” Muffet said as she led Sans to the exit, keeping one of her hands on his back. “So thank you for paying me a visit and being honest with me. I hope I’m wrong about Slim, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. Take care of yourself, honey.”

“I will, no worries. Goodnight, Muff!” she smiled and placed a small kiss on his forehead, then opened the door for Sans. It was dark outside, but he knows the road well.

He took his time walking to the house, feeling pretty tired after such an emotional rollercoaster. So many things happened in such a short period of time it was hard to wrap his head about it. But these were the changes he was willing to accept. Ever since that night with Papy, he felt much better, so much better. His emotional crisis every now and then was problematic, but now he had something to think about it, not only spend time dwelling on his life. Maybe once again, looking at his past won’t bring sadness to his soul.

As soon as he got back home, he dropped his boots and jacket on the floor, barely caring if it gets dirty. He wanted to sleep so badly even stairs seemed to be a challenge. When his skull hit the pillow, it was the matter of minutes and Sans was gone.  
He didn’t have any nightmares that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An important chapter is coming! (probably not the next, buuuut soon)


End file.
